Camping Fridge

If you plan a camping trip, don’t forget to take along a camping fridge. The so called electric cooler or electric coolbox can have a huge impact on how enjoyable your camping trip will be.

These little coolers are often overlooked when planning a trip, but they can make a huge difference in your ability keep the food items and beverages cool during those hot summer days. Most of them run off 12V car battery so if you’re on the move food and milk and other beverages will stay cool for your next spot making it a very useful gadget.

Facts to consider before buying a camping fridge:

Size – Buy the smallest cooler you fell is large enough to satisfy your needs. The smaller fridge will be lighter, take up less space in your car (which is always at premium when going on holiday), use less power and filled to the brim, so it will also keep it’s contents cooler for longer time when not powered. If in doubt when deciding between two units, buy the smaller one. You might even save some $$$

Ruggedness – buy an electric cooler that is robust and can sustain some abuse. You are going to use it outdoors, it might double up as a convenient portable chair while camping, you are going to drop it and stuff it in the already full trunk of your car. Make sure the panels are robust, made from plastic which is not easily damaged, door hinges and seals must feel solid. You sure do not want your new coolbox to fall apart in the middle of your camping trip!

Insulation – If you need to keep your beer cool for as long as possible even when the electric cooler is not powered, go for a unit with thick insulation. The camping fridge needs to have thick, solid walls; there needs to be some styrofoam or similar material in the space between inner and outer plastic walls. The thicker the Styrofoam insulation the better. Also check the door seals – if they are not airtight, your food and beverages will not stay cool for very long.

Power source – The 12V powered camping fridges are great since you can plug them into your car. Some already have with built in mains converters. If not, you can get a converter quite cheap. This is a very useful feature, since you can precool your fridge before your trip starts and the cooler can even double as beer cooler in your backyard.

Be careful though – as with all portable fridges – not to drain your car battery. Do not run the camping fridge for more than a couple of hours when the car engine is not running.